Palace of Westminster: Accommodation

Lord Dubs: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	How many staff accommodated in offices at the House of Lords' end of the Palace of Westminster are:
	(a) staff of the House;
	(b) staff employed by political parties or the Whips' offices;
	(c) departmental civil servants; and
	(d) others.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: A total of 230 members of staff are currently allocated accommodation in the House of Lords' portion of the Palace of Westminster. Of these, 172 are staff of the House; 33 are employed by political parties and groups, the Whips' offices and the office of the Leader of the House; 25 are departmental civil servants, all of whom are employed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Northern Ireland: Mental Health Tribunal Rules

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will amend the Mental Health Tribunal Rules (Northern Ireland) 1986 in the light of the declaration of incompatibility made by the English Court of Appeal in R (H) v London North and Eastern Region Mental Health Review Tribunal (2002) QB 1.

Baroness Amos: There are no plans, at present, to amend either the Mental Health Tribunal Rules (Northern Ireland) 1986 or the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. However, a review of mental health legislation is being undertaken as part of the wider review of mental health and learning disability (Northern Ireland) currently under way. One of the issues, which the review will be considering, is the compatibility of the Mental Health Order with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission: Register of Researchers

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who is on the register of researchers held by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and what were the criteria for their selection.

Baroness Amos: There are 52 names on the current register of researchers. These are individuals or organisations with particular experience and knowledge of human rights research who have submitted their details to the commission and who are retained on the register which the commission refers to when seeking external work.
	The commission selects researchers according to their particular skills and experience relevant to the research project at hand, as well as giving due consideration to practicalities such as availability and cost and to its commitments as outlined in the NIHRC equality scheme.
	The complete list is as follows:
	Register of Researchers 1 October 2003
	Names
	Laura McMahon
	Mark Bell
	Nazia Latif
	Fiona Boyle
	Una Convery
	Nicola Browne
	Patrick Mulligan
	Gearoid Tennyson
	Mary McMahon
	Johanna Keenan
	Patricia Maxwell
	Samantha Connor
	Anne Lavan
	Kathleen Cavanaugh
	Colin McIlheney
	Linda Massie
	Neil Faris
	Linzi Conway
	James McManus
	Jonathan Doak
	Pauline Prior
	Erica Hatton
	James McCusker
	Caroline Nolan
	David Russell
	Tracey Irwin
	Paula Murray
	Lauren Arner
	Michelle Bresland
	Patrick Turtle
	Michael Potter
	Geraint Ellis
	Roger McCallum
	John Murdock
	Thomas Stewart
	Mairead Nic Craith
	Conan Fegan
	West Belfast Economic Forum
	Gavin Davidson
	Bill Rolston
	Brendan McKeever
	David Floven
	Jane Winter
	Gillian Robinson
	Teresa Geraghty
	Jospehine McFall
	Earl Storey
	Eithne McLaughlin
	Julie McCaughan
	Robin Wilson
	Gerard Finnegan
	Lorraine Rowan

Northern Ireland Parades Commission: Budget

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 8 September (WA 8) concerning the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, what is the Commission's budget per year broken down under normal headings.

Baroness Amos: A breakdown of the Parades Commission's operating costs for 2002–03 is available in its annual report, which was laid before Parliament on 8 September 2003.

North/South Implementation Bodies: Funding

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 8 September (WA 6) concerning North/South Implementation Bodies, since creation, whether any funds have been transferred from one financial year to the next; if so, by which body; for how much; for what purpose; and what was the approval procedure.

Baroness Amos: No funds have been transferred from one financial year to the next in respect of North/South Implementation Bodies budgets since the bodies were established in December 1999.

Northern Ireland: Employment

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to increase the number of government jobs in Strabane District Council area.

Baroness Amos: At present the Department for Employment and Learning has 23 staff in the Strabane District Council area based in the Strabane Job Centre. It is currently estimated that this number will increase by 5.5 when the office becomes a Jobs and Benefits Office in October 2005.
	The North-West Development Office of the Department of Social Development is the key driving force behind the successful regeneration and development of Londonderry, Limavady Borough Council and Strabane District Council area. In the past it assisted with the identification of suitable sites for the new Pension Centre, Londonderry, officially opened in June 2003. In the future, it will continue to provide similar assistance in the Strabane District Council area.

Northern Ireland: Ballymena to Portrush and Londonderry Railway

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What work has been done to the railway line from Ballymena to Portrush and Londonderry in each of the past five years; how much it cost; and what work is proposed for the next five years.

Baroness Amos: Translink has advised that in each of the past five years the following maintenance work has been carried out on the lines from Ballymena to Portrush and Londonderry:
	
		£000 
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Total 
			 Permanent Way 538 554 571 588 674 2,925 
			 Crossings 46 47 49 50 60 252 
			 Signalling 146 151 155 160 210 822 
			 Structures 96 99 102 105 100 502 
			 Property 131 135 139 263 235 903 
			  
			  957 986 1,016 1,166 1,279 5,404 
		
	
	Translink has further advised that, although it is unable to provide figures for expenditure on capital projects in each of the past five years, the following sums were incurred over the five-year period:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Permanent Way 980 
			 Signalling 70 
			 Structures 1,088 
			 Property 875 
			  
			 Total 3,013 
		
	
	The Department for Regional Development has offered Translink grant aid to undertake the following projects in the next five years:
	Remedial action on an embankment at Galdanagh
	Installation of strail crossings at four level crossings north of Ballymena
	Points and crossings at Coleraine
	Demolition of an accommodation overbridge at Coleraine
	These projects are expected to be completed in the early part of the five-year period and further projects may be approved during the period. Maintenance work will also continue.

Northern Ireland: Public House Licences

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will refer the arrangements for the allocation and inheritance of public house licences to the Equality Commission for assessment of their adherence to current equality law and good practice.

Baroness Amos: No. There are no known equality implications arising from the current Northern Ireland legislation governing the grant, renewal and transfer of liquor licences allowing public houses to sell alcohol. Such licences cannot be inherited.

Belfast City Airport: Underpass

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the cost of the new underpass at Belfast City Airport; what is the estimated number of cars currently using the underpass; and what was the estimated use when the decision was taken to construct the underpass.

Baroness Amos: I have asked the chief executive of Roads Service to write to the noble Lord in response to this question. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Northern Ireland Compensation Agency

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have a policy to reduce the need for payments from the Northern Ireland Compensation Agency by promoting greater understanding among all sections of the community.

Baroness Amos: No. Government policies are focused on promoting greater understanding among all sections of the community, as part of their commitment to taking forward peace and reconciliation. They have also developed policies on crime reduction and crime prevention. Collectively, these policies should, over time, reduce the need for payments under the compensation schemes.

Northern Ireland: National Institute for Clinical Excellence Recommendations

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which recommendations from the National Institute for Clincial Excellence have not been implemented in Northern Ireland and why.

Baroness Amos: There are currently no formal arrangements whereby the recommendations of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence are applied in Northern Ireland.
	The remit of NICE does not currently extend to Northern Ireland. Negotiations are under way with NICE with a view to extending its remit to Northern Ireland as soon as this can practically be arranged.

Northern Ireland: Paediatric Renal Isotope Scans

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 10 September (WA 119) concerning renal isotope scanning service in Belfast, how much funding has been made available; and when the service will be reinstated.

Baroness Amos: Paediatric renal isotope scans have been available in Belfast at the main Royal Victoria Hospital for some time.
	The Eastern Health and Social Services Board has made available an additional £32,000 to the Royal Group of Hospitals Trust in the current financial year to facilitate the relocation of these services to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC). The trust is currently in the process of recruiting the additional staff required. It is anticipated that the service will be offered at the RBHSC site from January 2004. Rebo

Written Ministerial Statements

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked the Leader of the House:
	What consideration is being given to replicating in the House of Lords the procedure of the House of Commons on Written Ministerial Statements.

Baroness Amos: The procedure of Written Ministerial Statements in the House of Commons operates so that Ministers can make written announcements directly to that House. This procedure was introduced at the start of this Session.
	In the House of Lords Ministers cannot make written announcements directly to the House. Instead they have to "plant" Written Questions in order to make announcements.
	I can see merits in the Written Ministerial Statement system, but at the moment the Government have no plans to initiate such a procedural change. However it is open to any Member of the House to put suggestions for procedural reform to the Procedure Committee.

Questions for Written Answer

Lord Jopling: asked the Leader of the House:
	Whether she intends to reinforce the existing convention that Questions for Written Answer should be given replies within two weeks; and what steps she intends to take in connection with those departments that have failed to provide replies to the 52 Questions that have awaited replies on 7 October for between three and 12 weeks.

Baroness Amos: The time taken to reply to Parliamentary Questions is an issue that concerns me and my ministerial colleagues.
	I have recently reminded colleagues of the importance of prompt and accurate answers and will continue to do so on a weekly basis.

Northern Ireland: Prison Population

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the prison population in Northern Ireland on 1 September in each year since 1994.

Baroness Amos: 1st September Prison Population 
			 1994 1,874 
			 1995 1,736 
			 1996 1,597 
			 1997 1,557 
			 1998 1,473 
			 1999 1,189 
			 2000 1,008 
			 2001 856 
			 2002 1,028 
			 2003 1,131

Northern Ireland: Police Training Centre

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress is being made in building a new training centre for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Baroness Amos: The project for the provision of a new police college is being progressed by the Police College Project Board (chaired by the PSNI and with representatives from the NIO and the Policing Board). An outline business case for the supply of new facilities was recently submitted to Treasury, seeking permission to proceed to procurement stage. Treasury approval has now been received and a project manager appointed. The PSNI and the Policing Board have carried out an exercise to identify a suitable site for the location of the facility and this process is due to reach a conclusion shortly.

Defence Systems and Equipment International

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the total cost to public funds, including expenditure on policing and security, of the recent Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEI); and what benefits they estimate to have accrued to the British economy.

Lord Bach: The direct cost to the Ministry of Defence identified centrally has been estimated at some £400,000. The final cost remains to be established.
	The Metropolitan Police estimate a total of £1.48 million in additional pay and other costs associated with policing the event. British Transport Police estimate their cost of policing the event as £250,000. As above, the final cost remains to be established.
	The benefits to the UK economy were evidenced by the presence of a large number of UK exhibitors, who were able to take advantage of the increased opportunities to show and discuss their equipment, and to allow those with current sales campaigns under way to progress their interest. Benefit will also have arisen from the attendance of more than 20,000 visitors, including official defence delegations, travelling to, or staying in, the capital. simone

Iraq: Costs of Military Campaign

Lord Hooson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the total financial cost to the British Treasury, to date, of financing the preparation for and participation in the war in Iraq and the restoration of law and order and essential services in that country.

Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs which the department would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises, for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation.
	Calculating all the costs of military action will take some time since they will include the cost of ammunition, bombs and guided weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and the cost of repairing and replacing equipment destroyed and damaged. We do however estimate the cost of preparatory activities in 2002–03 at around £700 million—less than the £1 billion set aside at Spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03. This estimate includes the procurement or modification of equipment, increased maintenance and stock consumption, civil sea and air charter and provision of infrastructure in-theatre. A figure for total costs in 2002–03 including the cost of operations up to 31 March 2003 will be published in the department's resource accounts at the end of October 2003.
	It is too early to estimate the costs likely to arise in 2003–04. Once these are known, additional funding will be sought in the normal way through Supplementary Estimates.

Reserve Forces

Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to call out Reserve Forces in support of the stabilisation and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan.

Lord Bach: On 3 October 2003, following the expiry of the call-out order made last October, we signed a new call-out order—made under the Reserve Forces Act 1996—to allow reservists to continue to be called out in support of the stabilisation and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan. The new order is effective until 30 September 2004.
	Over 230 reservists were called out under the order made last October. We are most grateful for their continuing commitment and the invaluable contribution they and their employers make to this operation.
	We have also authorised the military secretary to call out special members of the reserve forces, known as Sponsored Reserves, who are involved with the heavy equipment transporter contract. They will support operations in Iraq, with about 10 reservists deployed at any one time.

Criminal Cases Review Commission: Membership

Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any new members have been appointed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I am pleased to inform the House that Mr Ian Nichol has been appointed as a member of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Copies of the press release relating to this appointment are available in the Library of the House.

UK Passport Service: Framework Document

Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to publish a framework document for the new UK Passport Service.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: On 1 September 2003 the Criminal Records Bureau became an independent agency in its own right and the UK Passport Service was re-established as a separate agency. The UK Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau will not operate under separate framework documents. The UK Passport Service framework document has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill: Consultation Papers

Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish consultation papers on the new arrangements for regional and local planning introduced in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill.

Lord Rooker: We are today publishing for consultation draft regulations and policy statements on regional and local planning arrangements, and on development control processes. The regulations and guidance underpin the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, currently being debated in another place. They are issued for consultation, subject of course to changes during its passage.
	The draft regulations set out detailed procedural matters in relation to regional and local planning matters and development control. We are also publishing draft revised rules for procedures for major infrastructure projects.
	Planning Policy Statement 11 (PPS11), which will supersede PPG11 when the Planning Bill comes into effect, sets out how the regional spatial strategies (RSS) should be prepared and revised under the new statutory framework. In particular it places a new emphasis on community involvement and partnership working, integration with other strategies, making the RSS more regionally specific and on the delivery of policies.
	Planning Policy Statement 12 (PPS12) sets out the Government's policy on the preparation of the local development documents that will comprise the local development framework for a local planning authority or for a minerals and waste planning authority. It explains the actions that need to be taken in preparing the local development documents which will deliver the spatial strategy for the area and the new, streamlined arrangements for dealing with the formal stages of the process. It emphasises the need for community involvement and explains how local planning authorities should prepare sound development plan documents which will be independently tested before adoption by the authority.
	The Government also published today for consultation draft guidance on development control matters.
	The Government will be publishing consultation drafts of other planning policy statements in due course, in particular Planning Policy Statement 1, setting out the principles underlying the planning system in England.
	The public consultation on the draft guidance and regulations will run until 16 January. The secondary legislation will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible after the Planning Bill receives Royal Assent. We are planning for both the guidance and secondary legislation to come into effect at commencement of the Act.
	Copies of the documents are being placed in the House Library. They will also be available on the website of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Public Guardianship Office: Performance Indicators

Viscount Chandos: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What key performance indicators and targets they have set for the Public Guardianship Office executive agency for 2003–04.

Lord Filkin: I have today set the following key performance indicators and targets for the Public Guardianship Office for 2003–04:
	Key Performance Indicator 1: To increase the satisfaction of its customers in the delivery of its services.
	Target:
	To achieve a customer satisfaction rating of at least 50 per cent for both professional and lay receivers, as measured by its annual customer survey.
	Key Performance Indicator 2: To increase the proportion of effective visits by the Lord Chancellor's visitors.
	Targets:
	To maintain a minimum of 6,000 visits per year to include all Receivership Division clients.
	To visit all new receivership clients where the chief executive of the PGO has been appointed receiver of last resort.
	To achieve 75 per cent effective visits over the year.
	Key Performance Indicator 3: To increase the percentage of accounts collected on time and reviewed on time, and to use this process to review the case management regime to ensure that it is meeting the needs of each customer and client.
	Targets:
	To collect 60 per cent of accounts within two calendar months of the accounting end date, 80 per cent within four calendar months of the accounting end date, and 100 per cent within six calendar months of the accounting end date, referring cases to the Court of Protection where necessary or taking other steps to ensure proper accounts are produced on behalf of clients (applies to protection clients only: i.e. those clients who have an external receiver).
	To complete the review of 100 per cent of accounts received or to have requested further information within four weeks (20 working days) of receipt (to apply to both receivership and protection clients).
	Key Performance Indicator 4: To deliver an improved service to clients:
	Targets:
	To respond to 95 per cent of letters, faxes and e-mails within 15 working days of receipt.
	For 95 per cent of requests for release of funds, the PGO will give directions to the Court Funds Office (CFO) or dispatch direction to an external receiver within 10 working days of receipt.
	To dispatch court orders and directions to applicants, receivers or their representatives in 95 per cent of cases within 25 working days of their being made.
	For 95 per cent of complete applications for final directions, the PGO will give directions within 25 working days, to transfer all of clients' assets to personal representatives.
	To register and return 95 per cent of correctly lodged EPAs, where there are no objections within five working days of the end of the statutory waiting period.
	Key Performance Indicator 5: To demonstrate improvements in efficiency by meeting three financial performance targets:
	Targets:
	To remain within budget.
	To achieve a fee income of £13.1 million.
	To achieve a unit cost per case of not more than £535.

Land Registration Act 2002: Chancel Repair Liability

Viscount Chandos: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they have taken concerning the treatment of chancel repair liability under the Land Registration Act 2002, following the decision of the House of Lords in the case of the Parochial Church Council of Aston Cantlow and Wilmcote with Billesley, Warwickshire v Wallbank.

Lord Filkin: The Government have considered the reversal by the House of Lords of the Court of Appeal's 2001 judgment in Wallbank. My honourable friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, David Lammy, has made a Statement today in another place that a transitional provisions order relating to the status of chancel repair liability was made under the Land Registration Act 2002 on 14 September 2003. The order provides that, for a period of 10 years from the coming into force of the Act on 13 October 2003, chancel repair liability will remain an interest that binds successive owners of land even though it is not protected by an entry in a register kept by the Land Registry. As no land registration fee is payable for applications to protect similar ancient property rights, such as payments in lieu of tithe, Crown rents and manorial rights, the Land Registry intends to waive the fee for applications to protect chancel repair liability for the 10-year period.

Sustainable Food Procurement Initiative

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the United Kingdom delegation advising the European Commission on any changes necessary to fulfil the aims of Defra's sustainable food procurement initiative.

Lord Whitty: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has worked closely with the Office of Government Commerce to ensure that the UK Government's position on integrating sustainable development objectives with procurement practice has been made known to the European Commission by the UK delegation. The UK Government's position is to maintain the current legal and policy framework, which allows public sector bodies to pursue sustainable development through their procurement activities, while also providing that value for money is obtained through purchasing goods and services in a manner that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.

Citizens' Information Register

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to create a citizens' information register to bring together the existing information held by the Government and their agents on the citizens of the United Kingdom.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from the Registrar General, Len Cook, dated 14 October 2003.
	As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about a citizens information register. (HL4616).
	There is a joint project between HM Treasury and the Office of the Registrar General for England & Wales to examine the feasibility of holding up-to-date contact details (name, address, date of birth and a unique personal number) of everyone in a population register. The intention would be to simplify citizens' life, for example when they move address, and also improve delivery of some public services. This project is called the "citizen information project" (the CIP). An information note about the CIP has been available on the Treasury website and the General Register Office website (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/registration/cip.asp) since February 2003 and was updated in August. The project is also mentioned in the latest ONS Annual Report to Parliament (the Registrar General's activities are reported alongside those of the National Statistician) and in a recent review of population estimates. The Annual Report will be examined by the Treasury Select Committee on 15 October.
	The feasibility study was presented to Ministers in June 2003 and I will publish it after Ministers have considered it. The report recommends further investigative work, which it is anticipated will last between 15 and 18 months before any final decision is taken. During this period, there would be full public consultation and the preparation of legislation, which would be necessary to create such a register.
	Moreover, any proposals that emerge will be fully consistent with data protection and privacy law. Any personal information collected by me, as Registrar General, is subject to confidentiality obligations defined by law. I will publish a study on whether or not this project can be done once the appropriate further investigations and consultation have been completed.

Office for National Statistics: Performance

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the performance of the Office for National Statistics is satisfactory.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Yes. The annual reports of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) report on ONS performance against its corporate targets. Following many years of underinvestment, the ONS has embarked on an ambitious development programme to improve its infrastructure to the level necessary to support a world-class statistical service. The ONS's 2002–03 annual report provides detail on this development programme.

Financial Ombudsman Service: Claims

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	(a) how many claims have been received by the Financial Ombudsman Service; and
	(b) how many of those claims have been successful.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I am advised that in the financial year ending 31 March 2002, the Financial Ombudsman Service received a total of 43,330 cases, of which 39,194 cases were resolved. In the financial year ending 31 March 2003, the Financial Ombudsman Service received a total of 62,170 cases, of which 56,459 cases were resolved.
	The table below shows a breakdown of the outcome of all cases resolved during the period:
	
		
			 Outcome of cases Year ended 31 March 2002 Year ended 31 March 2003 
			 Resolved by mediation or conciliation 45% 40% 
			 Resolved after investigation by an adjudicator 40% of which 10% mixed outcome (partial win/ lose for both sides) 23% in favour of the consumer 67% in favour of the firm 49% of which 13% mixed outcome (partial win/ lose for both sides) 18% in favour of the consumer 69% in favour of the firm 
			 Resolved by final decision of an ombudsman 15% of which 15% mixed outcome (partial win/ lose for both sides) 29% in favour of the consumer 56% in favour of the firm 11% of which 15% mixed outcome (partial win/ lose for both sides) 35% in favour of the consumer 50% in favour of the firm

Office for National Statistics: Assessing Economic Growth

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why on 12 September the Office for National Statistics introduced a new methodology for assessing economic growth.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 14 October 2003.
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the recent introduction of a new methodology for assessing economic growth. (HL4638)
	The main change introduced in the data published on 12 September was the use of annual chain-linking for the measurement of the volume of GDP. This method allows changing industrial structures and patterns of expenditure to be reflected more quickly in GDP as the weights used for aggregating components are updated annually rather than 5-yearly as they were under the previous methodology. Because a significant portion of economic activity is measured by statistical surveys or indicators that reflect annual or quarterly change, chain-linking means that the benchmark for each year's measure of GDP is based on the latest available information on the structure of the UK economy.
	The introduction of annual chain-linking follows international guidance published in the United Nations System of National Accounts 1993 and the European System of Accounts 1995. Annual chain-linking has already been implemented in the United States and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal and Finland (using annual weights).
	A number of articles about the move to annual chain-linking are available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/Methodology–by–theme/chainlinking/default.asp
	In addition to the move to annual chain-linking, the price indices used for detailed level deflation of current price estimates of gross fixed capital formation, changes in inventories and trade in goods, and in the compilation of the Index of Production, have been updated so that their internal weights reflect the values of 2000 rather than 1995. The purpose of this rebasing is to use more up to date and therefore more appropriate weights for current industrial structures.

Office for National Statistics: Assessing Economic Growth

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many new jobs have been created since the Government came into office in 1997 in (a) the public and (b) the private sectors; and
	How many new jobs have been created since they came into office in 1997 by region in the United Kingdom; and how many were in (a) the public and (b) the private sectors in each region of the United Kingdom.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 14 October 2003.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about jobs created in the UK since 1997. (HL4645 and HL4646)
	There are no figures for jobs created. However Table 1 attached shows the changes in job levels in the public and private sectors from August 1997 to August 2002 (the latest available data).
	A disaggregation of Table 1 by region is not available, but Table 2 attached shows the total persons in employment by Government Office Region, covering the three month period to July 1997 and the three month period to July 2003, together with the change between those dates. It is a count of employed persons, and not a count of jobs, and thus excludes second and subsequent jobs.
	
		Table 1 -- Job Levels by Main Sector in the UKThousands, not seasonally adjusted
		
			  August 1997 August 2002 Change 
			 Public Sector 4,954 5,298 344 
			 Private Sector 22,811 23,610 799 
			 Total 27,765 28,908 1,143 
		
	
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey and Administrative Returns from public bodies
	
		Table 2 -- Persons in Employment by Government Office Region (Thousands)Thousands, not seasonally adjusted
		
			 Region May-July 1997 May-July 2003 Change 
			 North East 1,058 1,071 13 
			 North West 2,916 3,078 162 
			 Yorkshire & the Humber 2,181 2,310 129 
			 East Midlands 1,941 2,017 76 
			 West Midlands 2,391 2,431 40 
			 East 2,515 2,699 184 
			 London 3,156 3,416 260 
			 South East 3,837 4,053 216 
			 South West 2,264 2,417 153 
			 Wales 1,225 1,311 86 
			 Scotland 2,265 2,397 132 
			 Northern Ireland 685 733 48 
		
	
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey

Licensing Act 2003: Statutory Guidance

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the statutory guidance relating to the Licensing Act 2003 is to be published.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Licensing Act 2003 provides that the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport may not issue the licensing guidance to licensing authorities unless a draft of it has been laid before, and approved by resolution of, each House of Parliament. The Government intend to lay the guidance before Parliament as soon as possible.

Sportsmatch: Funding

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is their intention to provide long-term funding for Sportsmatch; and
	Whether they intend to continue funding Sportsmatch from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport via Sport England and retain Sportsmatch as an organisation independent from government; and
	Whether they intend to increase funding for Sportsmatch in order to keep pace with demand for Sportsmatch programmes.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: As a result of the 2002 spending review, Sportsmatch was allocated £3.675 million for each of the years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06. The future of the scheme, including its funding, will be considered as part of the 2004 spending review.